Military Power: Banks Power Upfitted Humvee

Hot-Rodding Hummers

The Biggest Name In Diesel Performance Ups The Power In Up-Armored Humvees
The most recognizable diesel 4x4 in the history of the United States military is AM General’s HMMWV, aka Humvee. Like the Jeep before it, the Humvee has been called into action on every continent and has carried our soldiers into (and out of) the toughest terrain imaginable. Yet while we champion these 4x4s for their capability, they do have a secret—they’re enormously underpowered.

That’s not, however, AM General’s fault. When first conceived, the Humvee weighed less than 10,000 pounds. Some were as light as 7,500 pounds. The 6.2L and 6.5L engines were never interned to be fire-breathing diesels, but they could certainly move that mass around.But then the Department of Defense began asking for Humvees with armor plating to protect our troops. Now the Up-Armored versions of the Humvee can weigh around 7 tons, and the 6.5L engine struggles to keep up, especially at high altitude.

Enter Gale Banks Engineering, which has deep roots turbocharging diesels to make more power. It was almost 30 years ago when Banks turbocharged its first 6.2L, and it’s back at it with a performance upgrade system targeted toward heavyweight 6.5L Humvees.